Samuel Bronston, Film Producer, 85; Made Epic 'El Cid'

By By RICHARD D. LYONS

Published: January 15, 1994

Samuel Bronston, a Hollywood film producer whose credits include the historical epics "El Cid," "King of Kings" and "Fall of the Roman Empire," died on Wednesday at Mercy Hospital in Sacramento, Calif. He was 85.

The cause was pneumonia secondary to Alzheimer's disease, said his daughter Irene Bronston.

Over a period of about 25 years Mr. Bronston either produced or had a role in producing about a dozen films. Perhaps his most famous production was "El Cid," a 1961 epic about the Spanish hero, which starred Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren. The three-hour film received mixed reviews, but it won Mr. Bronston several awards.

Mr. Bronston was born in Russia and brought up in France, where he first became interested in photography and film production. He moved to the United States in 1937 at the age of 29.

Among the other films in which he was involved were "The Adventures of Martin Eden" (1942), "Jack London" (1943), "City Without Men" (1943), "And Then There Were None" (1945), "Walk in the Sun" (1945), "John Paul Jones" (1959), "55 Days at Peking" (1963) and "Circus World" (1964).

He then made several documentaries.

In the late 1940's, Mr. Bronston became the official photographer of the Vatican and produced several films on behalf of the Chancellery of the Vatican. He retired in 1985.

Mr. Bronston's marriage ended in divorce.

In addition to his daughter Irene, of Berkeley, Calif., he is survived by two sons, Dr. William Bronston of Sacramento and Philip Bronston of San Antonio; two other daughters, Andrea Bronston of Madrid and Kira Bronston of Austin, Tex., and 10 grandchildren.